Starting up!

I'm finally starting back up after my old tank leaked, I've managed to pick up a nice big 240litre.

So anyway, here's my plan.

Tank Spec
Tank: Juwel 240L - 121 cm Wide, 40 cm Deep, 55 cm Tall.

Heaters: Currently Juwel 200w, but the knobs broken, so reverting to 2x 75W Heaters (enough?) or should I use 1x75w(from the old tank) and 1x100w+

Filteration: Eheim Ecco. 4 chambers, filteration runs bottom up, the media is (bottom first) 1. 2xEheim Blue Coarse filter pad, 2. Large Ceramic Media, 3. Small Ceramic Media, 4. Alfa Grog + Filter floss.

Lighting: Juwel High-lite unit, 2x 54W (Not sure, haven't got it yet)

Powerhead: TBC

Fish
Temporary Stock:
Bristlenose Plec x 10 (BREEDING)- Require Shelter; Slate caves

If anyones interested...this stuff will be coming in around 6 months, going to have a load of fun with BN's initially.
Centrepeice Stock:
Kribensis x 2(BREEDING) - Requires Shelter; Coconut shells
Keyhole Cichlid x 2(Possible Breeding)- Requires Flat Surface; Flat rock

I will be creating 2 seperate territories, one half consisting of caves for the kribs and the other with the flat rock for the keyholes. I've heard that this has been done and works out rather well.

Community Stock:
Corydoras x 9 - Require Sand
Kuhli Loach x 6 - Require Sand and Shelter
Rummy Nose Tetra x 20 (£2 a peice!!!)

Fiveband Barb x 6 (availability?) - Require shade from plants
Emperor Tetra x 6 (availability?) - Require shade from plants

Scape
Plantation: Basic Hardy selection, Anubias, Amazon Sword, Ludwigia, Ceratopteris, Vallis, Java Fern, Hygrophillia, Java Moss

Additional: Rock, Slate caves and Bogwood.

Substrate: PlaySand, maybe some small black gravel mixed in.

Open to suggestions, I'm, sure theres plenty.
Has anyone got advice on how to QT fish before adding them into the maintank, never done it before.

I've got a load of Q's, but I'll start with these...

I've seen plecs at the LFS, I'll try and take some pics of them but I don't possess a decent camera. The plecs are pretty young, about 1, 1/2". They've been labelled as common plecs but I think I've seen a few bristles (or is this the end of the common plec sucker mouth?) The guy there is of the opinion that BN's and commons grow to the same size... How would I ID these fellas without bringing them home?

I've mentioned that I'll be having 10+ plecs to breed - is this amount advisable or would that be too much competition? and is it safe to get them ALL from the same brood? (if not, advise please)


Thanks in advance!

Hi Adam,

Where in the world are you?
You'll find members on here including myself soon have fry for sale all the time which are better quality and better prices than LFS's

Actually mate, not too far off from you! Just over in dewsbury. Don't drive yet, so I might have to send my uncle over yours whenever he heads over to see family.

Just updating my profile.

Any chance you could spare a few wise words abotu all this breeding lark?

Sounds like your well on your way Adam with the new tank- plan of attack = good idea.
As Jagtazman has suggested , you would better off buying your fish off of one of the members- you won't be getting ripped off, and you could probablly get them sexed which is another good head start, and you know you'll be getting B/N instead of a common plec that will reach a foot and a half before you know it.
If you want a look at the difference between common B/N and a common plec, take a look at Eaglehorsesmom's thread
" Daughters commons".

J

Just an update

Blah...well...
things aren't going too well over here...my Eheim Ecco is a mess, too loud so my parents won't allow me to run it (I understand for once, it did my nut in)

Seems as though another week before the cycle...

Adam,

Just re read your thread, sorry should have responded before

Heater - I use Eheim Jager - Superb heaters, you can get them on the web quite cheap, but the closest supplier to us at a reasonable cost is Gorden Riggs Garden centre in Todmorden

As for Filters, I can recommend the Aqua Balls, I have a 130 in one of my pleco tanks
But I am about to set up another 70 litre on and considering Eheim Biopower 160 internal filter

However if you know someone who will drive you to Durham, these will work and are a bargain
http://www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/php/detail59_161503.php

Oops, I didn't mention I picked up a nice cheap heater from ebay (hopefully it lasts!). Silly budgetising.

I'm actually using the head of an aquaball as a powerhead to stop junk from sitting on the surface. The living room is packed with bags of random peices of second hand equipment including a Prizm Skimmer, a fluval 4plus (untested) and an RO unit (borrowed).

I also picked up my lighting, which turned out to be a white flourescent T5 marine bulb and a blue T5.

I'm tempted to setup the fluval 4plus, but for the moment I'm absolutely knackered

Whats this fluval 4plus? an external cannister filter? just do lots of dry runs outside with an esky full of water.
When I aquirred my little cannister it took about 5 runs to get rid of the leaks, a little bit of strategically placed silicone
and some new O rings and walla - quiet as a mouse and runs between 1000 -1200 ltrs an hour.
J

It's an internal filter - basically the main reason I don't want to run it. It's also slightly underpowered.

An internal filter teamed up with a cannister is what I'm using on my 5ftr,
even still an internal with an aged sponge will get you on your way towards having the tank cycled.
J

Been running through things, I've planned to have a final go at fixing the ecco. I'm going to cut the pipe down as I noticed that some of the bubbles can't get through the giant loop and back down into the canister.

The carpets goign to be changed in a few weeks so I might just wait until then for the cycle. and get on with things...

Setup a 60L tank and it's good to go with fish!

The 240L will come along within the next month, but I'm dealing with this for now.
Anyway, I'm still going ahead with my BN plan. Anyone round here got a pair or some BN's I could get my paws on?

Adam wrote:

Setup a 60L tank and it's good to go with fish!

The 240L will come along within the next month, but I'm dealing with this for now.
Anyway, I'm still going ahead with my BN plan. Anyone round here got a pair or some BN's I could get my paws on?

I may have a spare BN pair up for sale soon

Planted it yesterday, added 2 danios for now, getting more in a couple days.

Very nice setup Adam......looks great mate...

sounds like u are on your way

Thanks guys, not sure what to stock in this tank once I get the 240 running. Cory's maybe? Would they go well with danio's? Don't want them in my main tank - nutters.

Yup corries are good I love them

Jagtazman wrote:

I may have a spare BN pair up for sale soon

About a month and a half later, I've got them!!! Thanks!

Hopefully going to move them into the 240 in the next 2 weeks.